Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1854
Description
India, 1854, ½a Pale Blue, Die I (2; SG 3). Large balanced margins, cancelled by blue dotted cancels with red "BELLARY/Paid" framed handstamp with manuscript "7-11-54" date added on folded cover to Secunderabad, blue framed "Rg HOUSE/No. 1" handstamp (unlisted in Giles), red Secunderabad arrival datestamp, Very Fine, a spectacular strike of this receiving house marking, also noteworthy is the early use which is just over a month from the issuance of the Lithograph issue on Oct. 1, ex Dr. Kornan
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10126, (2026)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Bellary
12 marks12 other pre-1854 postal markings of Bellary are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Bellary HG 1handstampBlack1806–1821
- Bellary HG 2handstampBlack1813
- Bellary HG 3handstampBlack1826–1832
- Bellary HG 4handstampRed1828–1837
- Bellary HG 5handstampBlack1836
- Bellary HG 7handstampBlack1840–1856
+6 more at this office.View all Bellary marks and postal history →
About this Bellary pre stamp cover
COV-5321 is a Bellary pre stamp cover of 1854 bearing the Bellary HG 6 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Bellary postal history — the office known today as Ballari, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, 1854, ½a Pale Blue, Die I (2; SG 3). Large balanced margins, cancelled by blue dotted cancels with red "BELLARY/Paid" framed handstamp with manuscript "7-11-54" date added on folded cover to Secunderabad, blue framed "Rg HOUSE/No. 1" handstamp (unlisted in Giles), red Secunderabad arrival datestamp, Very Fine, a spectacular strike of this receiving house marking, also noteworthy is the early use which is just over a month from the issuance of the Lithograph issue on Oct. 1, ex Dr. Kornan
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10126 (2026).
2 images of COV-5321 are recorded; the Bellary HG 6 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1839.
Questions about COV-5321
- What is COV-5321?
- COV-5321 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Bellary, Madras Presidency of 1854, bearing the Bellary HG 6 handstamp in red. India, 1854, ½a Pale Blue, Die I (2; SG 3). Large balanced margins, cancelled by blue dotted cancels with red "BELLARY/Paid" framed handstamp with manuscript "7-11-54" date added on folded cover to Secunderabad, blue framed "Rg HOUSE/No. 1" handstamp (unlisted in Giles), red Secunderabad arrival datestamp, Very Fine, a spectacular strike of this receiving house marking, also noteworthy is the early use which is just over a month from the issuance of the Lithograph issue on Oct. 1, ex Dr. Kornan
- How scarce is the Bellary HG 6 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Bellary HG 6 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837–1839.
- What is the provenance of COV-5321?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10126 (2026).
- When was COV-5321 posted?
- COV-5321 is dated 1854, within the recorded period of use of Bellary HG 6 (1837–1839).
About this record
This 1854 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Bellary HG 6 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 5 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), lot 10126, (2026).